1. Introduction
Fractal Design is a Swedish company known for their minimalist design of their products. The color scheme present in F.D products is black and white, scheme present in cases, power supplies and fans. The concept of Fractal Design is to provide products with an extraordinary level of design, without compromising the important factors of quality, functionality and pricing.
Official product link:
http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/casefans/venturi-series/venturi-hp-14-pwm
http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/casefans/venturi-series/venturi-hp-12-pwm
2. Packaging and accessories
The fans are packaged in a black box with blue accents. The name & logo of the manufacturer are placed on the upper side, next to them there is printed the fan’s name. Below there is a general image of the product.
Also the front side of the box opens to present the fan through a transparent plastic window.
HP-14 PWM
HP-12 PWM
On the sides of the packaging there are printed both the manufacturer’s logo and the name of the product.
HP-14 PWM
HP-12 PWM
The back side of the packaging presents the product’s specifications. On the top side the features of the fan are presented using different overview images.
HP-14 PWM
HP-12 PWM
Accessories
The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Manual
– 4x Black screws
– 1x Y Splitter
– 4x Rubber corners for 120mm mount
HP-14 PWM
HP-12 PWM
3. Specifications
Venturi HP-12 PWM
Name: Fractal Design Venturi HP-12 PWM
Model: Venturi HP-12 PWM
Size: 120x120x25mm
Number of blades: 7
Weight: 179g
Rated Voltage: 12 V
Start Voltage: 6.0 V
Input Power: 1.0 Watt
Input Current: 0.10 Amp.
Rated Speed (12V): 400-1800 U/min./RPM
Static Pressure (12V): < 2,3 mmH2O
Air Flow: 61.4 CFM
Acoustic Pressure: 31.7 dB/A
Lifetime MTBF: 150.000 Std./hours
Operating Temperature: -10°C – +65°C
Connector: 4-Pin Molex (PWM)
Venturi HP-14 PWM
Name: Fractal Design Venturi HP-14 PWM
Model: Venturi HP-14 PWM
Size: 140x140x25mm
Number of blades: 7
Weight: 210g
Rated Voltage: 12 V
Start Voltage: 7.0 V
Input Power: 1.4 Watt
Input Current: 0.2 Amp.
Rated Speed (12V): 400-1500 U/min./RPM
Static Pressure (12V): 1,94 mmH2O
Air Flow: 78.1 CFM
Acoustic Pressure: 30.1 dB/A
Lifetime MTBF: 150.000 hours
Operating Temperature: -10°C – +65°C
Connector: 4-Pin Molex (PWM)
Features
– Featuring true FDB-bearings, providing silent operation coupled with a long lifespan
– Equipped with a counter-balanced magnet that reduces the axial tension on the bearing
– Features integrated vibration-dampening corners, made from solid high-quality synthetic rubber
– Dense, sturdy construction, made from high grade glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polymer
– Fan geometry is optimized for high pressure, delivering high performance results in high restriction usage scenarios, such as in use with large dense heatsinks or water cooling radiators.
– Featuring PWM control with a very wide speed range, starting at only 400RPM (400 +/- 100 RPM), ideal for CPU heatsinks or radiators, where the motherboard can control the fan speed based on the CPU temperature.
– Aerodynamically shaped thin stator struts reduce noise and unwanted turbulence.
– Strategically placed notches on the blades further reduce and diffuse any humming noise produced when the blades pass the stator struts
– The trip wire technology introduces a micro-turbulent layer that combats elements that negatively affect performance, resulting in quieter operation
– Comes with a PWM Y-cable, for connecting additional fans to a single PWM header on your motherboard or PWM fan controller
– 140mm fans come with an additional set of vibration-dampening corners are included that lends compatibility with 120mm fan mounts (105mm screw spacing). This enables the use of 140mm fans on many CPU coolers.
4. Visual inspection
The HP-14 PWM & HP-12 PWM models have a well-defined, unique design. They use 7 blades made out of plastic, each has three notches or indentations on the interior edge to minimize the sound produced by the air being pushed by the fan. Also the HP-14 PWM model has the following dimensions: 140x140x25mm while the HP-12 PWM has the dimensions: 120x120x25mm.
HP-14 PWM
HP-12 PWM
On the front side of the fans in the middle we find the manufacturer’s name on the edge of the rotor forming a circle.
The corners of the fan are made out of rubber and can be detached, the fan has included in the accessory bundle an additional set of corners, these are much smaller and rounded: these small corners allow the 140mm fan to be mounted on a 120mm fan spot. Due to the material used in their construction (rubber), the screws do not make direct contact with the frame of the fan, thus eliminating any vibration generated by the movement of the blades.
The back side of the fans feature 4 plastic beams to focus the airflow. In the middle there is a label with the model of the fan and the manufacturer’s logo.
For power the fan uses a 4-Pin Molex connector, also this model features PWM.
The wire of the fan is covered entirely by black sleeving.
5. Testing
The following system was used to test the fans:
– Processor: Intel i5 4690K @ 3.5GHz
– Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 9 ACK
– RAM: 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical
– GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 970 Armor 2X 4G
– SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
– HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB / WD Blue 1TB
– CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken x61
– Thermal compound: Arctic MX-4
– Display: AOC i2769VM
– Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe
The 120mm fans has been tested using a 240mm CPU liquid cooler, the SilverStone TD02 at max. RPM.
The 140mm fans has been tested using a 280mm CPU liquid cooler, the NZXT Kraken X61 at max. RPM.
CPU Temp. – 140mm fans
CPU Temp. – 120mm fans
The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 5 db.
6. Final thoughts
The HP-14 PWM and HP-12 PWM models are designed to be used on heatsinks and radiators due to the static pressure optimized blades. The design of the fans is elegant, these are available in one color, being easy to match with the rest of the components in the system.
The detachable corners in the case of the HP-14 PWM model are a welcomed option these offering the possibility of mounting the 140mm fan in a 120mm slot. Also in the case of both models, the rubber corners dampen the vibrations.
The performance is good so is the sound, both models are silent even at their maximum speed.
The price of the fans is justified by their very good build quality and the offered options in combination with the rich accessory bundle.
